The present invention relates to an image forming device, such as a copier, a printer, a facsimile device, or the like, which is equipped with a sheet finisher which staples or punches holes in sheets. In particular, the present invention relates to an image forming device equipped with a sheet finisher which is extremely compact and which can be mounted to an image forming device which has a loading tray at a top surface of the device and has a sheet discharging portion projecting above the loading tray.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 1-313261 illustrated in FIG. 10 is known as a conventional image forming device. In this image forming device, a sheet finisher 100 is set at the outer side of an image forming device main body 101, and a loading tray 102 is set at the outer side of the sheet finisher 100.
In FIG. 10, a sheet S (not shown), which is copied at the image forming device main body 101 and is fed-out by sheet discharging rollers 105, is conveyed to the sheet finisher 100 mounted to the outer side of the image forming device main body 101. The sheets S, which have been conveyed to the sheet finisher 100, are stapled by a staple unit 103 provided at the sheet finisher 100.
The sheets S, for which stapling has been completed, are pushed by an abutting member 104 and are loaded onto the loading tray 102. The abutting member 104 supports the conveying direction trailing ends of the sheets S, aligns these trailing ends, and, when stapling is completed, pushes the trailing ends of the sheets S out toward the loading tray 102.
The sheet finisher 100 is mounted to the outer side of a side surface of the image forming device main body 101 shown in FIG. 10. The loading tray 102 is mounted to the outer side of the sheet finisher 100. Thus, when the sheet finisher 100 is set at the image forming device main body 101, the area required for the placement of the image forming device main body 101 increases.
An image forming device 106 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-86076 which is shown in FIG. 11 has one way of overcoming this drawback. A sheet finisher 107 is mounted between the image forming device 106 and an image reader 108. The area required to place the image forming device 106 which is formed in this way can be reduced by an amount corresponding to the amount by which the sheet finisher 107 is mounted toward the inner side of the image forming device main body 106.
However, loading trays 109, on which the sheets S which have been subjected to finishing processing are loaded, still project outwardly from the side surface of the image forming device 106. Usually, the loading trays 109 are extremely large compared to the sheet finisher 107. Thus, if the loading trays 109 remain jutting out, the area for placing the image forming device 106 can hardly be reduced at all.
A structure, such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-277059 and shown in FIG. 12, is known in which a sheet finisher 110 is mounted above a loading tray 111. This sheet finisher 110 has an internal tray 112. The internal tray 112 is formed from two trays which are a first tray 112a and a second tray 112b. The internal tray 112 opens like a door toward the loading tray 111 from the portion at which these two trays are connected.
The sheets S are stapled on the internal tray 112, and when stapling is completed, the internal tray 112 is opened. When the internal tray 112 is opened, the stack of sheets S falls down of its own weight onto the loading tray 111, so as to be set on the loading tray 111.
Accordingly, the area for placement of the sheet finisher 110 can be reduced because the internal tray 112, which supports the entire surfaces of the sheets being stapled, and the loading tray, onto which the stapled sheets are loaded, are disposed in parallel in the vertical direction.
However, because the internal tray 112 opens and closes in a door-like manner, a sufficient height is required at the sheet finisher 110 for the internal tray 112 to open, and mounting the sheet finisher 110 into the image forming device is extremely difficult. Even if the sheet finisher 110 is mounted in, when the sheet finisher 110 having a height for allowing the internal tray to open is mounted in the image forming device, the height of the image forming device increases.
If the height of the image forming device increases, when an original, whose image is to be formed, is set at the image forming device, the position at which the original is set is high. If the position at which the original is set is high, it is difficult to confirm the set position. Accordingly, there is the problem that this tall image forming device is difficult to use.
Further, in order to mount the sheet finisher 110, which is tall, in the interior of the image forming device, a large space is required at the interior of the image forming device. However, because attempts are being made to make the existing image forming devices as compact as possible, usually, such a large space is not provided in the existing image forming device. Accordingly, there is the problem that the sheet finisher 110 can not be mounted into the existing image forming devices.
A first object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device with an easy-to-use sheet finisher, wherein the sheet finisher can be easily mounted into existing image forming devices and does not cause the area for placement of the image forming device to become large.
A second object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device which is equipped with the sheet finisher, wherein a loading tray at a top surface of the image forming device can be utilized as a loading portion of the sheet finisher and as a stacking portion for finished sheets, and when the sheet finisher is mounted, there is no need to provide another stacking tray for the finished sheets.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device with an easy-to-use sheet finisher, wherein even if the sheet finisher is mounted to the existing image forming device, sheets can be removed without greatly changing from the state before the sheet finisher was mounted.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
In order to achieve the above objects, an image forming device of the present invention includes a discharge portion having a discharge opening which discharges a sheet from one end side of a top surface of an image forming device main body, in a direction traversing the device main body, and a loading tray which is provided at the top surface of the device main body and lower than the discharge opening, and on which a sheet which is discharged from the discharge opening is loaded. A sheet finisher unit is disposed above the loading tray, and in the sheet finisher unit, supporting means for supporting a conveying direction downstream side of a sheet which is discharged; finishing processing means, disposed at one end side of the supporting means, for carrying out a finishing processing on the sheet which is supported on the supporting means; and a transfer means which transfers and discharges the sheet, which has been processed at the finishing processing means, to the loading tray which is located at a conveying direction downstream side, are formed as a unit.
Accordingly, the loading tray at the top surface of the image forming device can be used as the loading portion of the sheet finisher and as the stacking portion of the sheets which have been subjected to finishing processing. When the sheet finisher is mounted, there is no need to provide a new stacking tray for the sheets which have been subjected to finishing processing.
Further, an image forming device in accordance with the present invention includes a discharge portion having a discharge opening which discharges a sheet from one end side of a top surface of an image forming device main body, in a direction traversing the device main body. Supporting means for supporting a conveying direction downstream side of a sheet discharged from the discharge opening; finishing processing means, disposed adjacent to one end side of the supporting means, for carrying out finishing processing on the sheet which is supported on the supporting means; transfer means for transferring the sheet, which is processed at the finishing processing means, to a conveying direction downstream side; and a loading tray on which the sheet, which is transferred by the transfer means, is loaded, are formed as a unit. This sheet finishing processing unit is disposed at a position corresponding to the discharge opening of the top surface of the main body.
Accordingly, the supporting means, the finishing processing means such as a stapler or the like, the sheet transfer means, and the loading tray on which sheets transferred by the transfer means are stacked, are formed as a unit. The unit is loaded at the discharge opening, from which the sheets are discharged, in a direction traversing the device main body. Thus, the sheet finisher can easily be mounted even to the existing image forming devices having a loading tray unsuitable for the loading of sheets which have been subjected to finishing processing. Further, the image forming device of the present invention can be used as the image forming device to which the sheet finisher is mounted, without enlarging the area for placement of the image forming device.
Moreover, an image forming device of the present invention includes a loading tray which is provided at a top surface of an image forming device main body and on which a discharged sheet is loaded, and an image reader which is provided above the loading tray and which reads an image of an original, and at the image forming device, a sheet discharged onto the loading tray is removed from a front side intersecting a sheet discharging direction. The image forming device comprises a sheet finisher between the loading tray and the image reader, and the sheet finisher includes: supporting means for supporting a conveying direction downstream side of a discharged sheet; finishing processing means, disposed at one end side of the supporting means, for carrying out finishing processing on the sheet supported on the supporting means; transfer means for transferring the sheet, which is processed at the finishing processing means, to a conveying direction downstream side; and driving means for driving the transfer means, wherein at least the finishing processing means and the driving means are disposed at an opposite side of a sheet removing direction.
Accordingly, the finishing processing unit and the driving means of the finisher are disposed at the opposite side from the sheet removal direction. Thus, the image forming device equipped with the easy-to-use sheet finisher is provided, wherein even when the sheet finisher is mounted to the existing image forming device, sheets can be removed without greatly changing the way of removing sheets from a case in which the sheet finisher is not mounted.